NextGen ADS-B technology now available for pilots in Gulf of Mexico

NavWorx, Inc. now has available its ADS600-series receivers, which provide display of TIS-B traffic and FIS-B weather information. The ADS600 line of Universal Access Transceivers (UAT) are designed to capture and display broadcast information from Air Traffic Control, enhancing situational awareness for pilots and improving air traffic safety, according to company officials. The NavWorx receivers operate off a network of ADS-B transmitters currently being installed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Recently, DOT announced full deployment of ADS-B in the Gulf of Mexico by December 2009.

NavWorx was formed in 2007 to develop affordable solutions for the expanding NextGen air transportation system. A core component of the NextGen system is ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast), a combination ground- and aircraft-based satellite communications tracking network. NavWorx’s ADS600 equipment was designed to meet FAA TSO-C154c, the Technical Standard Order defining UAT ADS-B equipment operating on the 978 MHz frequency. The NavWorx ADS600 is currently shipping, and is available in a remote-mount or portable unit.

ADS-B technology has been in development for more that ten years. With the recent DOT announcement, ADS-B will be operational in the Gulf of Mexico by the end of 2009. This will enable UAT-equipped aircraft flying along the gulf coast, as well as crossing its vast body of water, to take advantage of the NextGen system. ADS-B is presently available in Alaska, along the Ohio River valley, in the Northwestern U.S., and along the U.S. eastern seaboard, as well as other locations worldwide. The system will be expanding to cover the entire U.S.